In recent years, the friars of Our Lady of Consolation Province formed the Franciscan Earth Care and Arts Initiatives. The Earth Care Initiative celebrates the Franciscan tradition of honoring nature and has worked on projects such as solar panel installations, environmental education and awareness, and other ways the friars and community can work together to protect the earth. The friars have a long history of celebrating and honoring the arts and the Arts Initiative continues this tradition.
Since the 1920s, the friars in southern Indiana held an annual summer picnic. In 2015, MountFest was established to provide a premier event to celebrate the area’s arts, music, and food.
The Mount Saint Francis Center for Spirituality (Mount St. Francis, IN) is hosting the annual Monarch Festival at MountFest this Saturday, September 23, 2023, from noon to 8 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana as well as the Franciscan Earth Care and Arts Initiatives, showcases art, music, an immersive butterfly exhibit, food trucks, children’s activities, and a beer & wine garden. Get all the info at monarchmountfest.com
